142 
Forest and Stream 
“ HELLO, IKE! ’’ 
Meet “Bill”—that’s me. Some call rne 
“Smiling Bill.” Some few others who have 
not been lucky with my baits on the first 
trial call me other names. Names that are 
not mentioned in polite society. However 
they get over that after another trial, or 
two. Reason why. The baits I sell must 
be good enough for me to fish with. I am 
too lazy to monkey with a bait that keeps 
me busy picking weeds off of it. I like a 
regular lazy man’s bait. That is, one that 
catches the most fish with the least effort. 
If a fellow finds he is getting too many he 
can either quit or put them back, can t he. 
That’s what I do. So I have a clear con¬ 
science and can look a game warden square 
in the eye any old time. 
Shannon Twin Spinner 
J. P. Shannon 
Patents 
85c each 
Here’s my “lazy man’s bait.” Take alook. 
You can easily see that it is weedless and when 
younotehowclosethespoons spin to the point 
of the hook you’ll agree that it is some 
killer. Also it looks good to any old “he” 
bass or “she” bass either—they all like it. 
All you have to do is to show it to a bass. 
The bass will do the rest. Being weedless 
you have no trouble showing it to them 
either, no matter where they are or how 
thick the weeds. 
We make the Shannon with Red, White 
or Yellow feather fly and also with natural 
colored bucktail fly. If your dealer can’t 
or won’t supply you send direct to me. 
Well, “Ike,” that is about all I have to 
say. So long and good luck go with you, 
but to make sure better take a couple of 
Shannons;along. 
Fishingly yours, 
BILL JAMISON. 
How About a Good Silk Line? 
THE 
O 
BE 610 NED rOR CASTING , 
'Wooden Minnow# 
50 Yds. 16 lb. TestJ 
No. 4 
Here’s the line that Bill Jamison and all 
of his friends use. The softest and easiest 
casting line you ever saw. Made of finest 
silk and guaranteed to be the best line you 
can buy at any price. Give it a trial. 
You’ll surely like it. 
No. 5, 12 lb. test. 
No. 4, 16 lb. test. 
50 yard spools, each, $1.00 
50 yard spools, each, 1.20 
Send for oar catalog of Baits, Flies, 
Leaders, Lines, Weedless Hooks, Etc. 
THE W.J. JAMISON CO. 
Dept. S 736!South California Ave. 
CHICAGO ILLINOIS 
time the smaller moths or spiders were 
taken in preference. If the actions of 
my trout are any guide at all, the con¬ 
clusion is justified that trout exercise 
considerable discrimination as between 
the different varieties of the creatures 
that supply them with their diet, and 
this by mere inspection. 
We have noted that at least in cap¬ 
tivity angleworms are without exception 
an attractive food. These can hardly be 
classed as “flies” or insects and so 
would have to be ruled out of the fly- 
fisher’s list of models. Various small, 
mealy-winged moths, some varieties of 
spiders, slim, grey flies, small, black 
insects and mosquitoes were the forms 
of insect life within the range of my 
experimentation. 
O N the basis of my observation I 
should presume that artificials very 
exactly copied from these as models in 
shape, size, color and texture, and cor¬ 
responding as far as might be to the 
insects of the waters to be fished would 
supply the fly-fisher with his lures. The 
several dozen kinds of insects classed 
under the above list, including the many 
varieties of smaller moths, will give the 
“fan” in fly-fishing plenty of material to 
practice his tying and casting ability 
upon. 
In the case of fish kept out of doors, 
weather conditions for them would 
parallel quite closely those for trout in 
a stream or lake, except that unless care 
were taken the temperature of the water 
in the container would vary more, being 
warmer in the daytime and colder at 
night. My fish, as a rule, at least during 
the warm season of the year, fed better 
on moderately cool days than on those 
that were either very warm or quite 
cold. 
A cold day, accompanied by a drizzly 
rain, usually put them somewhat off their 
feed. Still, if there were motion enough 
given to the floating insect, the fish 
would generally rise. Temperature con¬ 
ditions vary much less in water than in 
air, in a moderately short time, so that 
it is extremely doubtful if the tempera¬ 
ture of such cool waters as the trout 
lives in would vary markedly in a few 
days of cool weather. 
On an excessively hot day, the fish 
were inclined to be sluggish, and would 
either lie inert on the bottom or but 
slightly above it, slowly fanning their 
front fins. A bright, cool day, not cold, 
usually found them ready to feed. 
Hence, if trout do not rise readily on 
such days it is probable that the mo¬ 
tions of the angler or of his rod are so 
readily seen as to frighten the fish. 
A warm, lowery day, with an occasional 
drizzle, was about the best of all. Yet 
insects prefer bright, warm days to be 
abroad in. This idea may not be ex¬ 
actly in line with the theory usually 
held, but I am disposed to believe that 
trout often rise best on those days be¬ 
cause they are hungry and do not find 
at the surface the insects that make 
their food. A jumping and splashing 
in the pool where a trout is kept is 
understood as a hint by me that the 
fish is willing to feed and trying to get 
where food is to be found. A well-fed 
fish is not uneasy, but lies dormant on 
the bottom, barely even moving the gills 
and apparently asleep. 
Sometimes fish would not feed under 
the best of conditions. But an investi¬ 
gation would show it to be fed so full 
as hardly to be able to swim. We may 
from this infer that a similar condition 
will put a wild trout “off his feed.” 
Now it sometimes happened that a fish 
would feed under apparently unfavorable 
conditions, which should encourage the 
angler to fish wherever he can find 
water enough to wet his line. 
Now what about manipulation, or the 
lack of it, when fishing with the fly? 
Many “flies,” upon falling into the water, 
move their wings rapidly with a peculiar 
whirring motion, something which the 
angler evidently cannot immitate. Others 
—like the various duns or upwing flies 
—settle quietly and remain floating with 
vertical wings during the egg-laying- 
process, rising occasionally and flying a 
short distance, then settling down to de¬ 
posit their eggs again. 
The action of such flies can evidently 
be best imitated by the angler if he 
leaves the artificial entirely to itself, or 
to the action of the wind or current. 
La Branc’ne gives an interesting account 
of a skipping cast, very effective when 
he could sometimes make it. The fly is 
made to leave the water, go a short 
distance and settle upon the surface sev¬ 
eral times in succession, provoking a 
rise at each movement. Has not manipu¬ 
lation then considerable importance in 
inducing the fish to rise to the artificial? 
Perhaps some light can be shed upon 
this interesting question by knowledge 
gathered from my experience with cap¬ 
tive trout. On a still surface, represent¬ 
ing a lake or pool in a stream, living, 
fluttering insects were preferred. This 
would hardly bear out the dictum of 
certain dry-fly anglers that the artificial 
should be cast upon the surface and 
never manipulated. Insects, dead and 
partly submerged, were not, as a rule, 
taken at all. But if, by blowing, motion 
was given, these were sometimes, thougl 
rarely, seized. (Score one for the dry- 
fly man). 
Sometimes insects were taken as soor 
as dropped upon the surface. At othei 
times it was necessary to blow then 
slightly to set up a little motion and sc 
simulate life. (How about the still dry 
fly on a quiet pool?) When dry-fh 
fishing on a lake or pool I have beet 
most successful when a very gentli 
breeze barely rippled the water, causing 
the fly to dance up and down a little 
but without setting up motion enough t< 
saturate and submerge it. 
Insects were sometimes taken an< 
either immediately ejected, or rejectei 
after being chewed once or twice 
Again, the fish would come up to a fa, 
vorite kind repeatedly and tear it t 
pieces in its efforts. Sometimes smal 
bits of leaves or wood were taker 
tasted and then ejected. This latter cir 
cumstance may explain why at time! 
evidently when hungry, trout will ris 
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